Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

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Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby tehswordninja » 29 April 2020, 21:24

I did a poll on the PB2 discord with a few topics, and one on the aliens of PB2 won. The other topics will be covered at some point (translation: When I feel like it).

Anyway, I'll be going over every Alien in the series, and offer some of my own thoughts and theories on them. I'm aware of how lame this is, by the way. When writing this I realized how long even a post on one faction would get, so I have decided to split the topic into at least 2 posts if not 3 (likely a Falkok post and a Misc post including Grubs and Reakhohshas).


Usurpation Forces:
Faction Lore:
Spoiler: Show More
Not much is truly known about the Usurpation Forces, although that isn't surprising.
The Usurpation Forces are a hostile alien force who are invading Earth via a portal that directly links Earth to their homeworld. Judging by their name, they "Usurp" technology and planets, or at least, are attempting to. They are willing to use human weapons, vehicles, and machinery in their conquest of Earth, and such examples include the use of Civil Security weapons like Lite Railguns, vehicles like the Hound Walker, and machines like Drones and potentially Corvettes. These aliens use swarm tactics and focus on a quantity over quality mindset, for the most part, sending in countless Minors and Majors as cannon fodder.

Misc:
Some reasoning for why Usurpers use human weapons comes from the fact that Eric ran out of time to give them more unique weaponry. He gave a lore reasoning that some Usurper weapons are not "well-adapted" for Earth's climate. I think this lore is outdated now that we have more Usurpation weapons, and potentially more in PB2.5.

Units:
Spoiler: Show More
The Usurpations field a decent variety of units, all of which use swarm tactics.

Minor: The most basic soldier of the Usurpation forces, likely used as cannon fodder and are almost certainly more common than they appear in the campaign. They tend to use light weaponry and come in vast numbers.

Major: The backbone of the Usurpation forces, the Major features better armor and uses a greater variety of weapons.

Advanced: A unique rank, Advanced Soldiers have their own unique weaponry and seem to have a higher rank than both Minor and Major soldiers.

Destroyer: Destroyers function less like commanders and more like heavily armored soldiers, often coming in similarly large hordes like every other rank. Still, it is likely they have authority over all other ranks and lead them into battle. They use both alien weapons as well as the heaviest human weapons captured.

Ranger (non-canon): Higher ranked than Minor and Major troops but just below Advanced, Rangers use both exotic weapons like the Acid Grenade Launcher as well as more traditional weapons. Most carry jetpacks, allowing them to launch aerial assaults with ease.

Misc: Eric's representation of the ranks in the campaign is certainly odd as it is based around "health" - any Minor with a certain amount of health becomes a major, and majors become destroyers at a certain amount of health as well. Advanced soldiers are kind of just their own thing. It is odd because despite being seemingly higher ranked than majors, they show up before majors, and we also never see minor and major soldiers fighting alongside each other. Destroyers are also super isolated for some reason. Overall I disagree with how usurpers are shown in the campaign and it would be nice to see all 4/5 units mixed together.

Weapons:
Spoiler: Show More
Usurpation weapons are currently canonically limited to the Alien Pistol, Alien Rifle, and Alien Shotgun, though this is very likely to change, according to Eric. Lore on any weapon is pure speculation/theory. If you only want canonical lore, don't read this section.

Alien Pistol (rails): A weak rail-based weapon typically carried by Minor Soldiers. Cheap, recoilless, and easy to manufacture, it is an easy fit for the weaker and less well-equipped Minors but is rarely equipped by other ranks as an alternative to the Projectile pistol.
Alien Pistol (Projectile, to return in PB2.5): A projectile energy pistol that fires two rounds at once. Dealing more damage than the Rail pistol, the Projectile variant is favored by Majors, Rangers, and Destroyers as a backup weapon, who are better able to handle its recoil.

Alien Rifle: Standard energy weapon with highly piercing rounds, decent damage, and a slow rate of fire. Used by all ranks minus Advanced, the Alien Rifle is favored for its accurate fire and ability to place multiple shots in the same spot with ease. The weapon features a visor-link aiming system - the weapon can link with a battlesuit visor, providing varying and adjustable magnification - which removes the need for a physical scope or aiming sight.

Alien Shotgun: The standard weapon for Advanced soldiers, this weapon is unique to both the rank and in function. It is quite unlike a regular shotgun, instead functioning more like a two barreled rifle. The Alien Shotgun lacks the visor-link of the Alien Rifle, requiring users to manually aim - but Advanced soldiers are more than capable of doing so.

Alien Sniper Rifle: The Alien Sniper Rifle is used by Rangers, Destroyers, and rarely Majors, due to the lack of any dedicated "sniper" unit in the Usurpation Forces. The Alien Sniper Rifle is a rail-based weapon used for long-range engagements and can deliver its rounds almost instantly from great range, making it a very deadly weapon. An uncommon sight owing to its expensive nature, it is often supplemented in combat with the human-made Heavy Railgun due to their similar traits, and may even be potentially inspired by human railgun weaponry, due to its only recent appearance.

Alien Acid Grenade Launcher: Lobbing highly acidic and adhesive "pellets", this war crime of a weapon - well, if Usurpations knew what a war crime was - launches an acidic gas mixture contained in a pellet of unknown make and composition. Instead of detonating a grenade-like a traditional explosive launcher, the Acid Grenade Launcher uses these pellets to cause horrific proximity damage by releasing the acidic gas within the pellet. Used primarily by Rangers, who are more than capable of using these Launchers to great effect against grouped infantry. A rare sight, and often supplemented by human grenade launchers or rocket launchers for their more long-range and anti-vehicle capabilities.

Alien Plasma SMG: One of the few rapid-fire weapons in the Usurpation arsenal, it is used by all ranks. Firing explosive plasma rounds at a high rate, the Plasma SMG retains a small size despite its potential firepower, and despite often being a sidearm, it can also be found being used as a primary weapon.

Alien Laser Rifle: A unique laser-based weapon used by every rank besides Minors. The Laser Rifle fires a high energy laser beam that quickly burns through the battery of the weapon, requiring fairly frequent reloads. As the invasion has continued, more Laser Rifles have been seen, seemingly replacing the Alien Rifle in service.

Alien Rail Shotgun: A proper shotgun-like weapon, the Rail shotgun is used for close combat, where its rail projectiles are unparalleled. It is suspected to be a heavy modification of the Alien Rifle. Used by Majors, Rangers, and Destroyers as a close-quarters counterpart to human weapons. It is a recent development and is just one example of the Usurpations adapting to human weaponry.
who needs a PB2.5 release date, anyways?
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Girl_Power » 2 May 2020, 01:22

Interesting topic, thanks for sharing!
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Phant0mB0nnie » 3 June 2020, 21:14

Personally, I think of Rangers as the Usurpations' special forces. Not sure where they would be ranked on your list, but in my maps they have a whopping 500 HP.
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Luka55 » 3 June 2020, 21:25

imo, the rangers should be between the Minor and Major ranks because, just look at the name.
Usurpation "Ranger".
rangers should be medium ranks in my opinion

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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Phant0mB0nnie » 4 June 2020, 01:26

Luka55 wrote:imo, the rangers should be between the Minor and Major ranks because, just look at the name.
Usurpation "Ranger".
rangers should be medium ranks in my opinion


I was thinking rangers as in like the United States Rangers, which are special operations forces.
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Complete and utter annihilation through superior volume of fire.

Me IRL:
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby C-0 » 4 June 2020, 03:35

Are they chickens though?

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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby the unstopable kid » 4 June 2020, 03:35

Very nice dear

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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Nakimato » 23 July 2020, 20:02

what if they were humans :O :O

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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Phant0mB0nnie » 23 July 2020, 20:14

Nakimato wrote:what if they were humans :O :O

They do share some similarities. But they are not exactly the same.
Last edited by Phant0mB0nnie on 24 July 2020, 20:18, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Nakimato » 23 July 2020, 21:18

Phant0mB0nnie wrote:
Nakimato wrote:what if they were humans :O :O

They do share some similarities.

Oh really, do they?

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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Phant0mB0nnie » 24 July 2020, 20:09

Nakimato wrote:
Phant0mB0nnie wrote:
Nakimato wrote:what if they were humans :O :O

They do share some similarities.

Oh really, do they?

Obvious ones, that anyone can notice with the limited info we have on the aliens, but still. Don't overthink it.

For starters, they're both bipedal, or walk on two legs. Usurps are also humanoid.
Secondly, they are both vulnerable to the other's weapons and their own weapons as well, so in terms of their weapons and technology capabilities they are similar in some areas. Also, both sides are capable of using the other's weapons. The Usurps obviously use human weapons. Likewise humans can pick up alien weapons and use them effectively.
Both species appear to be fleshy and have circulatory systems (they have blood).
They have vocal cords and are able to communicate with sounds.
Usurps can hear sounds on the same frequency that humans can.
Usurps can see at the same wavelengths that humans can.
Usurps have a sense of touch and can feel pain (they do scream when hit and when killed). Usurps can be incapacitated by lost limbs and end up writhing on the ground, slowly bleeding out like a human would. Additionally, Usurps can be incapacitated without any traumatic amputation (no loss of limbs). If you hit them, then they may go into a dying state while still remaining intact. Now, that may be due to blood loss as well, but Usurps tend to act more cautiously when low on health (that's how the AI works), showing that they are at least aware of their physical limitations.
Similar physical abilities. They can run at around the same speed as humans, jump the same height, etc. Vulnerable to falling, acid, and other hazards like lasers and whatnot.
Individual training of soldiers on both sides are similar. Proficiency with weapons for both species is around the same. Both species know how to properly handle a weapon and use it effectively. At an individual and basic level, both are equally adept with tactics such as finding cover, identifying targets, returning fire, maneuvering, and staying calm under fire. You never see a human panicking like a headless chicken in combat. Likewise, Usurpations keep their cool as well (despite theories of them being chickens). In fact, the only tactical difference between a single Usurp soldier and a single human soldier is their equipment, which influences their hitpoints and firepower, and their position on the battleground. Training is overall equal.
Spoiler: Show More
(Unless friendly fire occurs. Then they both get a little upset).

I will note that humans and Usurps have different military doctrines and large-scale tactics. Humans are more focused on quality over quantity. Usurps are more of the opposite.

Anyways, aren't you the one who first suggested they may be humans?
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby lrv » 25 July 2020, 18:06

First of all, in what way is it confirmed they can see the same wavelengths as humans? The only thing that's confirmed is that they can probably see yellow, red and blue, as their uniforms would have different color otherwise.

Also, I have a theory regarding the Usurpation homeworld: It's a mostly cold, ice planet. Why? Because
a) They have blue blood, suggesting they might not use iron but copper for internal oxygen transfer. And as far as I know
that's more effective in coldenviroment.
b) They use accurate weapons with high damage. This might be related to movement being slower and more exhausting
in cold areas.
c) Usurps probably have more surveilance built into their suits, indicated by them "flatlining" in contrast to CS soldiers.
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby Phant0mB0nnie » 27 July 2020, 00:40

lrv wrote:First of all, in what way is it confirmed they can see the same wavelengths as humans? The only thing that's confirmed is that they can probably see yellow, red and blue, as their uniforms would have different color otherwise.

Also, I have a theory regarding the Usurpation homeworld: It's a mostly cold, ice planet. Why? Because
a) They have blue blood, suggesting they might not use iron but copper for internal oxygen transfer. And as far as I know
that's more effective in coldenviroment.
b) They use accurate weapons with high damage. This might be related to movement being slower and more exhausting
in cold areas.
c) Usurps probably have more surveilance built into their suits, indicated by them "flatlining" in contrast to CS soldiers.

So I guess the more specific and sciency stuff can be debatable. But this doesn't exactly disprove the other similarities, especially the more obvious and generic ones. Also, some Usurps can run around as fast as the CS Lites while carrying weapons.
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Complete and utter annihilation through superior volume of fire.

Me IRL:
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Re: Alien Lore: Usurpation Forces

Postby lrv » 17 August 2020, 11:21

Hmm. The skin changing according to blood gives me an idea:
Maybe Usurps don't wear armor at all, but have some kind of exoskeleton. As the Usurp grows/evolves becomes more advanced it changes color and shape, as the blood color, voice etc. changes. Advanced Usurps are possibly Minor Usurpation Soldiers fitted with additional armor fitted on top of their skeleton. This is why they are outside the standard ranks.
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